Lubricants without calcium carbonates will be needed to meet new sulphur regs according to Total.
Fuels and oils working together? Image: Scootie |
Compliance for ship operators will involve the adoption of either LNG or distillate fuel, according to Total Lubmarine's technical director Jean-Philippe Roman.
With many engines operating on dual-fuel, the lubricant mix will need to allow for switching between heavy fuel oil and one of the other fuel types.
However, this adaptation will be affected by the fact that infrastructure for the global supply of LNG bunkering is not yet in place and LNG could become an increasingly expensive commodity.
The future, according to Roman, is likely to see most ships continuing to use heavy fuel oil, with a significant use of distillates in emissions control areas (ECAs) where limits on the sulphur content of fuel will drop to 0.10 percent in 2015. This, in turn, will require lubricants that can also work effectively with the new fuels and remain compliant.